


Watch out for Big Pharma

by Koberoo



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Psychological Trauma, Scars, but not like too bad, its very sparse, this is that au i started writing for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 23:19:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15350946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koberoo/pseuds/Koberoo
Summary: When a medical research facility starts doing questionable practices, it's up to the ninja to find out what their goals are. But will they be able to accomplish anything when two of their own are already infected with a mysterious virus?





	Watch out for Big Pharma

“What happened to Kai?”

The Red ninja had just been returned to the ninja’s current base. He was ushered in by Cole and followed by Zane and Nya. Cole escorted him straight to a spare room and closed the door. Jay was standing attentively nearby, waiting for the outcome of the rescue.

“We’re not sure, he’s in pretty bad shape.” Nya looked more grim than Jay had ever seen her. “Cole’s not happy, Kai was in the same place that he was held in.”

“So he’s…” Zane and Nya nodded in affirmation.

“Cole took care of most of the mission. He used his, er, abilities to get Kai out as quick as possible.” Zane said.

 

It had been a process tracking Kai down. Initially he was out on a solo mission to investigate an incorporation: Dorati Incorporated. They claimed to be a medical research center trying to find creative cures to diseases and ailments. On the surface they did seem to do what they claim to do, and they’ve operated under the radar for many years, occasionally appearing in the news as they made breakthroughs in science. The head of the corporation, Antal Dorati, is fairly generous with donating to other charities; people view him as an agreeable, public figure.

Cole had been extracted in a Dorati facility just outside of Ninjago City a couple of years ago. His father had come to the ninja asking for their help in getting his son back. Lou explained how Cole had been sick but all of the other hospitals and medical centers had turned him away, saying that it was incurable. He’d gone to Dorati Inc. as a last resort and they offered him an experimental treatment. They both agreed to it, Cole was scheduled for an operation. He was admitted into the facility and underwent a lengthy procedure, Lou couldn’t distinguish how long it was exactly but he was waiting for 18 hours in the lobby.

 

_“You truly don’t know agony until you’ve waited 18 hours to find out if your son will survive. I couldn’t do anything. I kept asking the nurses if they knew how he was doing but they never knew. No one would explain to me what the operation was, just that it was experimental and unconventional. The doctor finally came out and told me that Cole was awake if I wanted to see him. So of course I went to see him and he looked terrible, skin all pale and clammy, his eyes were dark, he looked-” Lou paused to regain his composure. “He looked close to death. I asked if he was okay, if he was going to make it. He could barely speak. The doctor told me that the next couple of days would reveal if the procedure was successful. She suggested that I go home and get some sleep, which, I of course, politely and firmly declined. I wasn’t going to leave Cole there by himself._

_I wound up falling asleep in a chair. A nurse woke me up and told me that Cole had to be taken back for another operation due to some circumstances of the recovery. That was all they told me before I was escorted back to the lobby. They told me I wouldn’t be able to see him for at least a week and that I should go home. I wanted to stay but I couldn’t stay in their lobby for a week. I went home and ate, tried to get some sleep, but I just couldn’t focus on anything so I went back. That’s when it started to get weird. No one would talk to me, they would just ask me to leave. No one would tell me where Cole was, or how he was doing, or if he was even alive! I asked to speak to someone in charge and a man, Ron Veneziano, assured me that Cole was alive and his recovery was imminent. I asked to see him but he told me I should leave. I didn’t know what to do so I left again. As soon as I got home I got this threatening phone calls from Dorati. They basically said that Cole was going to stay at the facility until further notice and due to confidentiality of their research I wasn’t permitted to see him. I kept trying to get in contact with someone, no one would respond, I was even locked out of the facility building! They kept calling me saying that if something changed I’d be told. I said I’d call the police if they didn’t let me see my son, they said if I got the police involved they wouldn’t hesitate to kill Cole._

_I don’t know what to do, please help me get my son back.”_

 

Zane did surveillance for 10 days, gathering information on the layout of the facility, the location of Cole at different points throughout the day. Nya went in one day and downloaded a bunch of files off of their server, most of it was irrelevant but it enlightened them to a secret project named “Minstrel”. Nya recovered some reports of past subjects (like Cole) that revealed, in-part, the goal of the operation. Subjects needed to have a rare mutation in their DNA that would allow a man-made virus to integrate into their genetics. All of the records that were discarded were those of subjects who didn’t have the mutation and rejected the virus. There was one subject who had the mutation and accepted the virus but was declared “deceased”.

Cole was extracted on the 11th day; Nya and Zane went in and got him out without major incident. There were a couple of close calls but as far as Dorati Inc. knew, the ninja were never there. Wu told Lou that he could help Cole, and a year later Cole decided he wanted to be a ninja.

 

“How are you feeling?” Kai was staring off into a corner of the room. They were sitting in a spare bedroom, there were a couple of chairs- which they occupied- and a table next to a mostly empty bookshelf. Kai was aware of Cole’s presence, it was comforting.

“Better, now that I’m back.” He let out a shaky breath.

“Listen, Kai, you can talk to me. I know what you went through, and talking about it really helps.” Cole paused. “I see you have the mutation?” Kai nodded. “What can you do?”

“Nothing useful. I, uh… I think rocks grow out of my skin? It only happened a couple of times so I’m not totally sure…” Kai looked up and was met with Cole’s taught expression. “But it doesn’t matter. It’s something I can control and it won’t be a problem.”

“Is that what the scars are from?” “Scars…” Kai lifted a hand to his face and felt the unevenness of the skin.

“Is it bad?”

“Um, well,” Cole opened the camera app on his phone and handed it to Kai. “Maybe you’d better just see for yourself.”

Kai gasped, it was definitely still his face, but it was interrupted by angry red slashes all along the upper-left quarter of his face, one going over his nose and the another stretching across his forehead. He turned his head a couple of ways to see the extent of the damage.

“Wow, that’s a change.” His voice came out strained despite his best efforts.

“Hey, it’s not even that bad! It’ll just take some getting used to.”

“Why’d it have to be my face, the one thing I like about myself.” He handed Cole his phone back and leaned his head back to look at the ceiling.

“You’re just as good looking as you were a couple of weeks ago, only now people know not to fuck with you.” Cole reassured. Kai snorted and raised his eyebrows.

“‘Just as good looking’ huh? Not better looking?” Cole leaned over and shoved Kai’s shoulder.

“You know what I mean.” They smiled at each other for a minute, falling into silence. Kai sighed and stood up, Cole following.

“I guess I’d better say hi to everyone, let them know I’m okay.” Kai straightened out his clothes, noticing his was wearing Zane’s shirt; it must’ve been the only one in the vehicle they came back in. “Hey Cole?” Kai stepped forward and hugged the other ninja. “Thanks,” He let himself sink into the hug, the adrenaline and fear finally catching up. But he felt safe with Cole, safe back at the base, safe away from the facility.

He was safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if y'all have any thoughts about this AU!!


End file.
